Water softening and/or scale reduction filters are used for making beverages in the restaurant and service industries. Ion exchange materials, such as weak acid cation (WAC) exchange resins, are typically used to exchange hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) from water with hydrogen or sodium. This results in water with lower scaling potential and use of such water reduces prematurely scaling and maintenance of beverage equipment, including coffee equipment.
If the WAC exchange resin removes all of the hardness minerals, however, the ability of that water to extract coffee from the coffee-beans may be somewhat compromised, and the taste of the beverage could be adversely affected. Some residual hardness in water used to make beverages is preferred and various beverages require their own hardness specification in water.
There is a need to provide media cartridges and systems that are adjustable to meet desired hardness requirements.